Recently declared a “cultural heritage” of Madhya Pradesh, Bhagoria is a festival that not only celebrates the arrival of spring and the end of harvest, but also love! It is indeed known for its “vivaah mela”, its marriage fair. Bhagoria falls during the Hindu month of Phalgun (February/March), seven days before the Holi festival and …
Among the multitude of Hindu temples that dot India those of the 64 yoginis (Chausath Yogini), which you can count on the fingers of one hand, occupy a very special place. These sanctuaries, dedicated to the tantric worship and to the “Shakti”, the universal creative force, still remain an enigma. Surprisingly, very few thesis have …
What’s astonishing at Orchha is that such a small town, nestling peacefully beside the river Betwa, should have so many sumptuous buildings. But once upon a time Orchha was the capital of a flourishing kingdom ruled by the Bundela kings.
People don’t come by chance to this ‘city of wonders’. Chitrakoot is a busy, buzzing pilgrimage town vibrating to the sound of the mantra ‘Ram Ram Sita Ram’. It is said that Lord Rama, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana spent 11 years in exile in the dense forests of Chitrakoot. In ancient time …
Gwalior, the fourth largest town in the State of Madhya Pradesh, owes its fame to the fort, perched atop a 300ft hill, which the Mughal emperor Babur called “the pearl amongst the fortresses of Hind”. Gwalior is also known as a cultural centre and home of both the famous poet and musician Tansen and a …
Khajuraho, a small village in Madhya Pradesh, is reputed for its sumptuous temples, built under the Chandela dynasty and listed as Unesco World Heritage. They are famous all over the world for their relief sculptures of the “art of love”.
Sanchi, a small village 46km northeast of Bhopal, is famous for its splendid group of Buddhist monuments, some of which date back to the 3rd century BCE. It is the oldest Buddhist sanctuary in existence and remained a major centre of Buddhism in India until the 12th century. These Buddhist monuments – stupas, a monolithic …
Bhopal is the capital of Madhya Pradesh. Alone among the princely states of India, it was ruled by a succession of four Moslem queens, the Begums, from 1819 to 1926. The Begums made considerable infrastructure investments in Bhopal. The vestiges of Bhopal’s history worth a stop, not to forget around the amazing sites of Bhojpur, …
Bhojeshwar is an uncompleted Hindu temple in Bhojpur village, 28km from Bhopal. It is dedicated to Shiva and houses a 2m lingam, one of the tallest in India. A huge, rough, blocky structure from afar, the temple reveals its delicacy as you approach. It is one more monument in India’s long list of architectural wonders.
Omkareshwar is one of India’s holiest cities. It is the home of “the Lord of the sound Om“, one of the 12 Jyotir Lingams or “lingams of light”. At Omkareshwar the river Narmada divides into two channels around an island called Shivapuri. The island, 4km long and 2km wide, is said to be in the …
Ujjain stands on the right bank of the Shipra, an affluent of the Ganges. It is one of the oldest holy cities in India. Its various names are Avantika, Pratikalpa, Kanakasrnga, Amaravati, Shivapuri, Chudamani, Kumudvati and also Ujjainyini, “he who conquers with pride”, because it is said to be the place where Shiva triumphed over the …
The town of Indore, which was once a village at the confluence of the Khan and Saraswati rivers, is the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh. It is renowned for its historic monuments, reflecting a glorious past under the patronage of the queen Ahilya Bai Holkar. Indore lies equidistant from two major Hindu pilgrimage sites, the Jyotir …
